1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sheets storing apparatus for storing sheet, discharged from an image forming apparatus, with its image formed surface upward (face-up) or downward (face-down).
2. Description of Related Art
The Japanese Laid-open Patent No. Sho 61-2655 discloses a sheet storing apparatus, which is attached to a sheet discharge portion of a copying machine, and which stores sheets discharged from the copying machine with its copied surface upward in a face-up mode and with its copied surface downward in a face-down mode.
The sheet storing apparatus described above comprises forward/reverse rotation rollers rotatable in both forward and reverse directions which are disposed on a sheet delivery path. Sheet discharged from the copying machine are moved forward at first by the forward rotation of the forward/reverse rotation roller, and then moved backward to feed-out rollers. More specifically, the forward/reverse rotary rollers are controlled to rotate in the forward direction to take in the next sheet after the preceding sheet has been moved backwards and released from the forward/reverse rotary rollers. Thus, the sheets being delivered are successively turned over.
The conventional sheet storing apparatus has the following problems:
If an interval between delivered sheets on which images are formed or copied, namely an interval between the preceding sheet and the next sheet, is short, sheet jamming is liable to occur because the next sheet is accidentally taken in by the feed-out rollers, or because the preceding sheet is taken in by the forward/reverse rollers before it has been released form the discharge rollers.
Switching to a desired control program can not be properly done. Micro switch a switching lever for actuating a mode selection switch is placed halfway. Since the switching to a desired control program is normally done after detecting on or off state of the switch interlocking with the switching lever when selectively switching two different control programs for the face-up discharge mode and the face-down discharge mode.
Moreover, it is hard to remove jammed sheets from the conventional apparatus.